Flight Conversion Kit for XBOX360/PS4 Controller

[TomOnSteam]

I've been disappointed that the growing flightstick market still hasn't been able to provide an affordable joystick - with more than one HAT. Coincidentally I saw an Xbox360 disassembly video(below), and it got me wondering: Why doesn't anyone make conversion kit for it?

 

Think about it: the standard console controller is cheap, and it has 5 axis (two with push click), 8 buttons, and a D-PAD. It even has triggers that you could reuse. If someone clever made a mold for a base and grip, could it not be reassembled into a flight stick by a home user with a screw driver and some minimal soldering?

 

 

X/Y Axis - for bank/pitch

Z Axis for throttle

X/Y rotation analog HAT #1 - TPG/Designator, and/or rudder

D-PAD for HAT #2 - Trim

ABXY buttons placed closer together for another HAT, or just a button cluster

BACK/START buttons for china-hat style

Left bumper / Right bumper for trigger and pickle.

 

You'd have to store the PCB in the base and wire up the buttons somehow - that's where I have no idea about this stuff. I'm just an ideas man :-)

 

But you'd just plug this in, and windows would see it and away you go. Someone smarter than me would just need to design and sell a kit/shell, perhaps 3D printed. A home user could buy an xbox controller and the shell, and then assemble the xbox controller components in the shell of the conversion kit - and hey presto, you have a very cheap joystick but with lots of buttons and hats. Sure it wouldn't be the most accurate stick around, but it would do the trick, since I've seen people already play with xbox controllers and fly pretty fine.

 

 

EDIT: after a bit more research, perhaps instead of using the xbox PCB, a Teensy board would be better. But we could still make use of the xbox controller's buttons and such.

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by TomOnSteam

[NineGzuz]

I fly with an Xbox controller about 50% of the time. I'd buy a conversion kit for sure.